By By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
April 13, 2001
Lauderdale County supervisors are considering relocating one of the county's court systems from the courthouse to the courthouse annex.
Boswell said supervisors had previously considered moving one of the court systems to the annex.
County Administrator Rex Hiatt said the annex's seventh floor would be the best area to renovate for court. The seventh floor is gutted and open, he said.
Boswell also wanted to know if the old jail on top of the courthouse could be used for anything. Hiatt said electrical wiring on the floors is antiquated, and the ceiling leaked before recent roof repairs. He said the fourth floor above the courthouse could probably be used for storage or office space.
District 3 Supervisor Craig Hitt suggested moving boxes stored on several floors of the annex to the old jail and using the newly-freed space in the annex for something else.
Supervisors briefly discussed constructing a trusty inmate satellite facility because they may lack space at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility in the future. They expect to approve an order for up to 100 working state inmates at their regular meeting Monday.
Hitt said Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie is applying for a grant to build the satellite, and supervisors are considering building it behind the jail on the Lauderdale County Detention Facility site.
Hiatt said there is room in the jail for 38-40 additional inmates, but housing up to 100 more would mean mixing trusties with inmates who aren't at trusty status.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.